I've enjoyed sharing this series of photos taken from the Peoplemover, but sometimes they are not that exciting. It's bound to happen!
This first skewed photo shows the Tomorrowland Terrace (looking pretty sleepy), with the Peoplemover load area and Rocket Jets (notice all the empty rockets!). On the ground level is the Space Bar - sorry, you won't be getting your Space Mist there today. Notice the arched stage to our left. And what's with that group of folks wearing bright red? Coincidence, or were they cast members?
I think somebody forgot to turn on the waterfalls. This is a nice enough view, just very familiar. If you'll recall, the Submarine Voyage seemed to be closed for maintenance, you can see what looks like a hose used for cleaning swimming pools, partly submerged (sort of in the middle of the picture).
The Ethan Allen is tied to that Monorail pylon for some reason; normally the subs were moored near their loading dock if they weren't being used, but we already know that some sort of cleanup was being done on the lagoon. Probably another infestation of flying vampire leeches.
Major-
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that rope in the sub lagoon has nothing to do with the the Ethan Allen, and is attached to something else out-of-view-? Looks like a nice day to visit the park.
Thanks, Major.
In the first picture, near the lower right corner, that mom(?) with blonde hair (who's walking away from us) reminds me of a mother duck leading her 3 ducklings. (Though, those 3 ducklings may not even be hers.)
ReplyDeleteNanook, I agree, it does look like a nice day to visit the park. That was also a nice year to be there, too!
Looking at that last picture, with that blue rope . . . it looks like there's more blue rope directly below the rope that's tied to the pylon - at the bottom of the picture, in the water. (??)
ReplyDeleteMajor, thank you for these sunny shots of Disneyland!
These pitchers are so purty
ReplyDeleteYou could hang 'em in the Louv-re
It's not the Mona Lisa
It's the good ol' Peoplemover
Coca-Cola must have arranged for all the red and white in the first picture, just to go with their logo. Love the stars-and-stripes arch.
If we didn't get the Tower of Four Winds, at least we got the Tower of Random Street Signs at the Fantasyland Autopia. It was just as good... well, maybe not. Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteIn that first pic, it looks like there is a father trying to stuff his kid into a stroller, but the kid might be resisting (near the bottom of the photo).
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there was nice furniture aboard the Ethan Allen?
Love the guy in the plaid sportcoat - or maybe it's just a coat - under the GDB watermark to the left of the kidstuffer.
ReplyDeleteNote that there are no folding chairs set up in front of the Tomorrowland Stage. Since there are no shows scheduled today, why don't all meet as a flash mob at 3? Be sure to bring a kazoo so we can do our best rendition of "Zip-a-dee-dood-dah." I hope someone remembers to bring a sound movie camera.
IMPORTANT INFO: the Time Portal home closes at 6:23, so don't be late or you'll be stuck in 1975. That might sound fun until you realize your most current job skills are for a job that hasn't been invented yet.
In the second photo, not only did they forget to turn on the waterfalls, they forgot to turn on the ride. Note the empty bobsled in front of the equally-empty queue.
I had forgotten about the Tower of Random Street Signs. Interesting that they are all international versions of standard signs; as a kid, never having been out of the country, I thought they were just fanciful interpretations of our signs. I have to admit they are more colorful and visually interesting than the standard American (and Australian) yellow diamonds.
So happy this photographer blew so much expensive Kodachrome on his PeopleMover ride!
I thought that hose was a sea monster. You have to watch out, sea serpents will take over a lagoon, and pretty soon you will go broke feeding them tons of shrimp and beluga caviar everyday. These photos are great. I long for the days of the new Tomorrowland. Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteThese images are perfect for escaping the world of today and entering a promising tomorrow. Always preferred Fantasyland Autopia over Tomorrowland Autopia. It was more colorful and the roads passed over the water systems making it more scenic in my opinion. Thanks, Major
ReplyDeleteThose European roadway signs were developed for the Autopia at a time when there were no real USA freeways yet ...so WED looked to the mostly new german road sign system developed after the war. This worked out well as they were not widely recognizable by most Disneyland guests and maintained a unique futuristic look for the Tomorrowland Super Autopia and a European motor sport feel for the Fantasyland Super Autopia. The signs were removed from the Fantasyland entry area in the late 90’s after a redo of the attraction’s signage ... but the roadways continued to feature them. The Tomorrowland Autopia used those signs until it’s complete re-theming in 1999.
ReplyDeleteThe Autopia roadway signs kept the same designs from the 50’s through the 90’s but all the 1959 steel signs were replaced with aluminum ones in the late 60’s. In fact I know of some people who have some of the old steel versions in their collection!! ( wink! wink!)
The park sure seems empty! I think I'll run over to the Jungle Cruise and try to get a boat all to myself. That way I can do the spiel and the captain will be SO impressed with me! (I hate it when people do that!!!)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Chuck, I was stuck in 1975 for a whole year once! Weird...
ReplyDeleteStu, I'm glad I don't drink coffee anymore or I'd be wiping it off my monitor.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite Ethan Allen Poe poem is "The Bluejay."
ReplyDeleteQuoth the bluejay, "No way, José."
Skipper Bob wasn't to happy with his working conditions so he left the sub in the middle of the lagoon and walked out and stole an autopia car.
ReplyDeleteActually, I wonder if we aren't looking at a broke sub. Did something left in the water bind up the propeller?
I'll take these views most gladly. Simply the best era of Disneyland.
ReplyDeleteDidn't we establish earlier in the series that this is morning? That would account for the quiet restaurants and the rides just getting up and running.
Thanks to Mike Cozart, as always for the backstory on the Autopia signs, and Melissa for the Poe-try. I had the same flash on the sub name, but having no talent, couldn't write anything witty about it.
I think the Ethan Allen may have engine trouble and that's why it is outside the pen. In this photo, I think the engine access appears to be open. The passenger access is just forward of the engine access and it appears to be closed. Might account for why the sub is tied up to the pylon, and for the man in the boat we saw in earlier pics.
Maybe there was a hydraulic leak that needs to be hosed up? I'm not a sub mechanic, and I have no idea how the motive power was transmitted, but hydraulics might be one of the ways, and those systems are always prone to leaks. I think the subs were diesel at some point and changed to all electric, but not sure of this.
JG
Argh, Blogger insists (once again) that I need to make my reply to you guys shorter. So I have divided them up into two!
ReplyDeleteNanook, I suppose it’s possible that the rope is attached to something else, though for the life of me I can’t imagine what.
Lou and Sue, it looks like at least two of those kids are following the mother duck, while the little girl is thinking about making a break for it.
Lou and Sue, I think that might be a fiber that was on the slide! In real life it was probably 1/16th of an inch long.
Melissa, it’s interesting, that Coca Cola sign is round in an earlier photo that I just acquired, and then it was changed to the square version. What does it mean??
Andrew, the little children from around the world (on IASW) would feel right at home with those international traffic signs out in front of the Fantasyland Autopia! They would also enjoy International Coffees from General Foods.
TokyoMagic!, I wonder what that kid (a little girl?) is holding? Something blue, and possibly fuzzy. I’d say it was a stuffed Sully from “Monsters Inc” only it’s decades too easrly.
Chuck, I definitely noticed the plaid coat… seems uncomfortable for a casual day at Disneyland. Maybe he was a Disney executive. If this was the off season, it’s not that surprising that nothing was happening over at the little stage. I was going to suggest that these might have actually been taken months before November, but there are more than a few people wearing coats and sweaters. I’ve been to the park when the Matterhorn was down for repairs, it’s always a bummer. It just doesn’t feel like a full day at Disneyland without the Matterhorn! I don’t remember even noticing the international street signs from when I was a kid - - compared to everyone else on this blog, I was woefully unobservant.
Jonathan, now now, you don’t have to be afraid of hoses! They’re more afraid of you than you are of them. Just above my watermark in photo #2 you can see two pipes (or something) sticking out of some of the corals, they almost look like they’re there so that a boat (or sub) could be tied to them.
K. Martinez, interesting, I wish I could remember the differences between the two Autopias. Chances are that if my family rode one Autopia, then we wouldn’t ride the other (“We just did one of those! Come on, let’s do something else!”).
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, I guess I never thought about it, but the U.S. freeway system really got going during the Eisenhower administration. I do like the international signs just from a graphic standpoint, but it might just be that they are not the everyday, familiar signs. Maybe Europeans think our street signs are neat! Do you know if the signs they used were real signs imported to the park? Or were they made in the sign shop?
Stu29573, most people don’t know that if you get a Jungle Cruise all to yourself, they have to let you fire the gun at the hippos! But you have to do it nude.
Stu29573, I hope you didn’t actually run into your parents, your whole future could have been altered.
Chuck, sadly, you DO still drink Yoo-Hoo, so… watch out, Chuck’s monitor.
Melissa, poetry is classy as hell, I think we’ll all agree. On a side note, I’ll sometimes quote “Alfred Einstein” as a joke, but apparently only I find it amusing, because everyone just assumes that I am too dumb to know that Einstein’s name was “Albert”.
MRaymond, I knew Skipper Bob was a little jittery, it sounds like he finally just snapped. Maybe evil mermaids disabled the submarine propellers, they love to eat tasty humans.
JG, there are only a few more photos in this group, so enjoy then while you can! If it was established that this is morning, I have forgotten. It looks later in the day to me? I guess if it was the off season, it makes a little sense that they would use the opportunity to make repairs to the Matterhorn and Subs, though it would be disappointing for many. As a kid I remember walking to the Subs, so excited to ride one of my favorite attractions, but it the lagoon had been drained. It was interesting to see it without any water, though! I don’t think the subs were changed to electric until the “Nemo” version. As for hydraulics, I’m a dummy when it comes to stuff like that!
I wonder what that arch is to the left behind the elevator to the Rocket Jets...
ReplyDeleteSpace Mountain would be around there in less than a couple years of when that picture was taken.
Anyway, these pictures were taken when Tomorrowland was still somewhat futuristic.
That arch is over the Tomorrowland Stage. They used it for bands and shows that had a bigger audience than the stage in the foreground. It disappeared when Space Mountain was built but the original layout of Space Mountain included a stage as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks MRaymond! I haven't seen the Space Mountain stage ever used. I just figured it was a landing spot for incoming ships. :-)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if more people are wearing patriotic red in these pictures because of the upcoming Bicentennial, as Disney had already started America on Parade, by this time.
ReplyDeleteMajor, haha! about the blue fiber. I'm truly not trying to pick apart your pictures.
Is that a spot on your shirt?
;)
JG, two words - core meltdown.
ReplyDeleteThere are two types of photos I love to see most on this blog: those about the monorail, and those about the peoplemover. Then again, it's only because I like both modes of transport. Which is probably why I wrote two articles about them on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember in at least one other slide from this batch, that we saw a man in a small boat, out in the lagoon. Could the other end of the rope around the Monorail pylon, be attached to that man's little dinghy?
ReplyDeleteJust a note on the lack of Matterhorn waterfalls:
ReplyDeleteIt could be due to ride maintenance but there was a severe drought in California in the mid 70s that caused public fountains, etc. to be turned off. If my terrible memory is correct, Disneyland turned their waterfalls off during that time period.
MAJOR: Disneyland Sign Shop made the Autopia roadway signs. But they were inspired by actual European signs post WW II. It’s interesting because the real ones had some meaning behind them , and if you were educated to understand them, but they all have a vague or open to interpretation to them.
ReplyDeleteLouv-re and Peoplemover. What a classic Melissa rhyme!
ReplyDelete@Grant, you are right, I remember that drought and I bet you are right about the waterfalls.
ReplyDeleteIt was a frightening time to be farming. Our wells were "surging" which was the precursor to going dry completely. I remember when the drought broke in the Central Valley, in the fall of 1977 it rained and rained. People were almost dancing in the streets.
@Chuck, can a sub have China Syndrome?
@Tokyo, I bet you are right about the rope, I should go back to check.
JG